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Ser Rickard Moren
Title: '''Lord-Commander of the Knights of the Bear, Chief Warden of the City of Portdun, and the third heir in Portdun’s line of succession; currently stripped of all titles and inheritances. '''Age: 41 Race: Breton, of the Northern subculture. Gender: Male Appearance: Rickard was a handsome man in his prime, but the years have not been kind to him. His face is lean with a sharp jaw line and hard cheeks. His short brown hair is unkempt and has begun to thin slightly. His eyes are a hard silver-blue and seem slightly bloodshot and tired. His face is covered in rough light brown stubble. He appears almost weary and worn down, a result of his years of alcoholism. Skills: Rickard possesses great skill in combat. Having squired for his Uncle, the former Baron of Portdun, now deceased, from the age of 11, Rickard has been exposed to warfare since he was just a boy. He wields a long sword as well as any man in Portdun and the surrounding states, and feels at home in plate-mail. He also has some skill with a lance. He still keeps his skills sharp; however his time away from the field has left him rusty. Equipment : During casual occasions Rickard wears roughspun outfits with leather boots. During more formal occasions, of which there are rarely any for him, he has a decent brown doublet with matching pants. The only token he has left of his former life is his armor and sword. His steel plate-and-chain armor once shone with a brilliant luster and bore the green enamel styling of the Knights of the Bear. The armor is now in much poorer condition. The once bright steel is now stained and dull, and the once deep green enamel ornamenting the pauldrons and breast plate has been chipped away almost entirely. His steel long sword is in similar condition to his armor. Background: Rickard Moren was once a knight held in high esteem. He squired for his uncle, at the time the Count of Portdun, at the age of 11. A few short years later at the age of 16 he was knighted and inducted into the Knights of the Bear, an Order than all his ancestors had served in. During the Portdun-Gwened conflict Rickard fought in many of the key battles that led to the Portdun victory, including the Battle of Wolf River – a quick and brutal battle that decimated the Gwened host and put them on the defensive for the rest of the war. The conflict ended when King Gwyde of Gwened swore fealty to the King of Evermore. Fearing the might of the King Titus Portdun backed off, but not before expanding their borders to encompass over 5,000 acres of Gwened’s richest farmlands. Seven years later at the age of 28, due to his noble birth and exceptional skills, Rickard was named Chief Warden of the City of Portdun. His first claim to fame came shortly after during The Conquest of Portdun (4E 17) – a war started over a land dispute between Portdun and Gwened (Gwened claimed the land Portdun had taken during the conflict and invaded). Lord Beric Moren marched to meet Lord De Valois with an army of 8,000, leaving a small garrison of 300 in the city. After staying removed from the majority of the fight, Rickard found himself in the middle of one of the greatest battles of the conflict, the siege of Portdun. A tactical oversight made by Lord Beric Moren’s Field Marshall resulted in a large portion of Gwened’s forces maneuvering around Portdun’s main host. Rickard soon found himself fighting off waves upon waves of Gwened men-at-arms and knights. With the small garrison that was left in the city Rickard and the other Knights of the Bear couldn’t hope to fight off the enemy head on, so, in a daring counter attack, Rickard led a sortie of 150 men and knights out of the city at midnight. During the night he ambushed the enemy. Only a token force of 300 men was stationed around the city, mostly on the western wall, while the others slept. Rickard flanked the Gwened camp while their forces concentrated on breaking down the curtain wall of the city. In a quick assault known as the “Bloody Night” Rickard and his force slew well over a fourth of the Gwened host, while routing another fourth (Just over 800 total). During the fighting Rickard engaged and killed two of Lord De Valois’s brothers, Ser Aren and Ser Balon, as well as Ser Aren’s only trueborn son - a boy of 15 years, just knighted. Once the other half of the Gwened host managed to form up under the command of Lord Daren Hallard, Ser Rickard had already retreated back into the city with little injury done to his own force. With only 700 men remaining, the Gwened host at Portdun could not hope to take the city from the garrison of near 300. The Gwened forces then retreated back into the farmlands around Portdun. Ser Rickard was hailed as a hero for his daring assault that broke the siege of Portdun. When Lord Valois heard about the defeat and the deaths of his brothers and nephew he was outraged. He then came down upon Lord Beric Moren’s host with all his might. For two weeks Lord Moren and Lord De Valois were locked in combat – a fight that would be later known as The Battle of Red Hill. A fresh group of soldiers from Shornhelm, numbering 500, marched to the aid of their King’s bannerman. While not a large force they would still play a vital role in the battle to come. The next morning when the forces clashed upon the fields, Lord Moren’s fresh new vanguard tore a gaping hole in the Gwened line, splitting the host in two. Lord De Valois was desperate to find a way to rejoin his host. Lord De Valois managed to keep his host together long enough for King Titus to finish mobilizing his army of 10,000 fresh soldiers. Lord Moren, caught by surprise, was greatly outnumbered his flank by the Evermore force. True to his disposition, Lord Moren refused to back down and maneuvered his remaining force of 6,500 on top of a large hill where they entrenched themselves. He sent word to Shornhelm in a hope to gain more reinforcements, yet in its broken state Portdun’s sovereign could send no aid. For three days Lord Moren held the hill against the combined forces of Evermore and Gwened, numbering over 13,000. On the fourth he was slain while leading a large force of cavalry down the hill at the Gwened line in one last attempt to tear a hole in their ranks. His remaining forces surrendered quickly after. With an army of 13,000 marching towards the city, Ser Baen Moren, the new Lord of Portdun, surrendered unconditionally. Still enraged by the death of his only brothers and his young nephew, Lord De Valois demanded that the young Knight, Ser Rickard Moren, and the other that took place in the “Bloody Night” be taken prisoner and tried. Lord Baen Moren had no other choice but to accept the terms. Rickard Moren and 41 Knights of the Bear were taken as prisoner’s to be tried for their offenses. Lord De Valois argued that they fought without honor and as savages, for who else would kill a 15 year old boy while he struggled to strap his brand new armor on and watched as his father and uncle were cut down in front of him? Lord De Valois demanded a trial for Rickard and the other Knights of the Bear. King Titus of Evermore agreed to the trial. Rickard and the 41 Knights were brought to the gargantuan structure of Castle Evermore, and after hearing the charges placed against them by Lord De Valois, were stripped of the Knighthoods and all titles. During the trial Lord Moren was also denounced as the Lord of Portdun for his brother’s offenses to Lord De Valois. Portdun was given to Lord Daren Hallard who managed keep the entire Gwened host at Portdun City from routing. Rickard, stricken with grief, stayed in the city of Evermore, hopping from tavern to tavern gambling and drinking away what little money he had left. He still remains in the city, competing in backstreet arenas for coin to drown his troubles in a sea of alcohol. Category:Breton Category:Portdun Category:Characters Category:Nobility Category:Evermore